Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-12-22
A REMARKABLE RAILROAD
Wonderful Feats of Engineering Accom-
plished ON Lookout Mountain.

Chattanooga Times, one of the mos
wonderful lines in America Feats o
| engineering are being accomplished
which seem appalling, and apparently
| insurmountable obstacles are beins
| overcome in the construction of til,
line.
A reporter. in company with one .
the directors of the company, traverseC
the entire road from end to end. Nc
one can conceive the extent of this
undertaking until he has made per
Sonal inspection, and even then i
appears that engineering skill will be
at loss to level the rugged face OF
the mountain side and thread the pre-
cipitous activities.
Ihe line commences near the south
| ern outskirts of St. Elmo, about one anc
| one-half miles from the Forest Hill:
| cemetery entrance. 1t aScends at a
| grade of $50 feet to the mile, the ascent
! being so regular that to the I'M
| practlced eye it seems almost a leve
road bed The belt railroad has beer
| extended from the st. Elmo station tc
| this point, and the road bed is graded
| some distance further south. it BEING
| the evident intention to build the line
| to Blowing Springs, which is about one
half mile beyond. The grading on
this line has already been finished and
most of the track laying is complete.
Yesterday the Belt trains came within
a hundred yards of the beginning OF
the mountain road.
The road ascends the mountain in a
northwesterly direction. The bed is
firm and almost wide enough for a
double track; the grading is complete
for about a quarter of mile, where q
very heavy I'LL is now being made.
This work is nearly finished and the
connections will be made there during
the present week. From that point the
grading is finished to a deep cut. a
short distance from the point where
the railroad will pass under the st.
Elmo turn pike. A bridge has been
built overhead and the railroad is
about twelve feet below. At this point
the scenery begins to grow interesting
and the road passes between masses OF
rock and through picturesque cuts.
From the bridge the grading is well
under way for about quarter of a
mile, to high fill where the road will
cross the cold turnpike" The fill at
that point is fully thirty feet. 1t
crosses the turnpike at grade, and
then turns westerly. From that point
to the Lookout incline, and for a
few hundred yards, is the most difficult
.portion of the road. A cut of fully
twenty-five feet is being made just be-
yond the turnpike, and few yards
further is a fill tifty-seven feet in height,
and close at hand another cut OF
twenty-seven feet, to open upon a
short cleared spot which will lead to
the bridge. This structure will pass
over the Lookout incline, it's height
being about nineteen feet above the
tracks. Beyond this another very
heavy cut will be made, and for
several hundred feet very difficult
work will be encountered.
The road for about three thousand
feet from the turnpike will be one of
the most picturesque. This work is
already under good Roadway, ana the
grading is nearly half finished.
Beyond this section of heavy work the
road willrun in a westwardly direction
toward the Cravens place, ascending
at the regular grade of 100 feet to the
mile, the work for two miles being
comparatively light. 1t will wind
around the mountain in the direction
of Sunset rock, and turn back Just
under the palisades, and pass under
the incline, following in a regular
ascent the face of the mountain to
point beyond the Mountain hotel, and
then ascend in the gorge to point be.
tween the hotel and the Mountain home,
and thence by direct line to the park
and the point About one and one
half miles of grading is finished near
the top of the mountain. The road
passes through a beautiful section,
and at points is wildly beautiful. AT
one point bowlder as large as the
Times building projects some distance
over the road, and in the distance is
perfect representation of human
face. 1t is fully fifty feet in height and
nearly as long. 1t seems that it is
ready to topple over every moment,
but it is held firm in the mountain side,
where it has hung suspended for ages.
The line passes through shady dells,
skirting shaggy precipices frowning
bluffs, and threading the foot beetling.
cliffs.
The scenery is grand beyond de-
scription. The reporter and the
director, who have Travelled through
the Rockies on the wonderful Rio
Grande narrow-gauge, both pronounce
the work equal to the widest portions
of that remarkable railroad and the
scenery equally as beautiful. While it
lacks the awe-inspiring aspect which
snow-clad peaks rising ten thousand
feet in the air convey, yet it surpasses
in picturesque beauty and in the
lovely landscape that is unfolded,
every foot of ascent presenting new
beauties, and lowering about all the
halo of historic interest and the
glamour of romantic legends.
Making Old Brushes New.